Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace: Audiobook Review

Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace is a friends to lovers lesbian romance that takes us to the manicured lawns of Wimbledon. If you’ve been looking for a good romance about two ladies in sports falling in love, look no further.

Sinjin Smythe has learned the hard way that falling for fellow tennis players isn’t a very good idea. While recovering from a procedure on her knee, she also learns that Laure Fortescue, her former doubles partner, is one of her truest friends. Sinjin’s other fellow tennis players may have called or sent emails, but Laure is the only one who showed up to see her.

Sinjin has to work hard to get to Wimbledon from her position well below 100, but she makes it along with Laure, who is fresh off of winning the French Open. As they spend time together every day of the tournament, each begins to wonder if maybe the right way to start a lasting relationship is with their best friend.

The Characters

I liked all of the characters in Lucky Loser except the one we obviously weren’t supposed to. Sinjin is hungry to prove she can make a comeback and that she can earn that Grand Slam title on her home turf. Laure is a talented tennis player with an impressive career, but she also knows that there’s more to life than the game. I admired that she had her next step planned doing something else she loves.

The Writing Style

Yolanda Wallace is a great writer. Her character work is strong, the story is compelling, and the pacing is so good that I found myself tearing through the book within a day and a half. There isn’t much sex or even kissing in Lucky Loser, but it was exactly right for this story.

The Narration

Lori Prince is a new narrator to me and I’m thrilled that she did such a fabulous job with Lucky Loser. Even better, she’s narrated other lesfic books that I haven’t read yet! I’m definitely going to check out more of her work because her voice acting is incredible.

The Pros

This is probably one of my very favourite friends to lovers romances ever, and that’s a theme I love in lesbian romance. I love Laure and Sinjin, particularly how they negotiate what’s right for them. I was so glad there was an epilogue though.

The Cons

I wish the cover better reflected what the characters look like. It makes it look like the leads are both white when Sinjin is biracial.

Also, because I don’t know anything about tennis except that the Williams sisters are goddesses, it was a little difficult to understand what was going on during any of the actual tennis play. I don’t know the difference between games, sets, and matches, and I don’t understand how the points work. Frankly, that also made it a little difficult to write this review because I don’t know any tennis terminology. That said, I loved the book, even if I found some parts harder to follow.

The Conclusion

If you like sports romances or friends to lovers stories, pick this up right away, especially in audio. It’s an excellent book that I know I’ll revisit.

Excerpt from Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace

“When was the last time you looked?” Mireille’s cheating had left Laure gun-shy. Sinjin was open about her voracious appetites. Did that make her more suitable as a partner or less?

“It’s been a while. To be honest, I haven’t looked at anyone since I came to see you last week.”

“Is that a personal best?”

“Pretty close.”

“I’ll buy you a chastity belt for your birthday.”

“Only if you promise we can play French Revolution. I’ll be Marie Antoinette and you can be Louis XIV.”

“You might want to choose a different role. If I remember my history correctly, Marie Antoinette lost her head.”

“Then the part’s perfect for me. Because I’m definitely losing mine.”

“Do you rehearse these lines or do they come naturally to you?”

“I’ll admit that wasn’t my best effort. Let me go back to the drawing board and see what I can do.”